


Madman

by readingfanficsinschool



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: My First Fanfic, Sassy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:48:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28878237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/readingfanficsinschool/pseuds/readingfanficsinschool
Summary: A fanfic of a girl who appears in the dorms at the beginning of The Scorch Trials book. She's part of Group C, but is the only survivor.She is even sassier than Minho but has a dark past.Excerpt:"I was trapped in the maze, just like you guys. They were a group of all boys, but when I showed up, I triggered something called the Ending.""And then you escaped with them but were separated into different bedrooms, right?" Thomas clarified."No," I responded, eyes downcast."Well, what happened to them?""They're all dead," I replied softly, but letting the spite in my voice be heard clearly."What do you mean, shank?" Minho asked. I lifted my chin. I had felt so much pain over the past few days, but now I just felt numb. I only allowed myself to cry once, ever since I woke up in the box. It was last night and I cried like there was no tomorrow. But tomorrow came. And I would not show weakness in front of these boys."They all died. I'm the only one that survived. The only one that made it through."
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	1. The New Girl In Town

**Author's Note:**

> Hey peeps! I'm Rachel, the sassiest author you will ever meet. This may not be the best story but I'm having lots of fun writing it. It's also my first fanfic so I'd appreciate lots of feedback. If you get the title, you are my new bestie :) [don't know if it perfectly fits the story but it popped into my brain and I couldn't stop myself]. Also, it starts at the beginning of The Scorch Trials book just so you aren't confused.
> 
> Disclaimer: all these incredible characters are the product of James Dashner's marvelous mind and not mine. Except for the main chick (and a few others coming soon) but oh well.

I woke up in a dark room. I panicked for a moment before remembering where I was. Of course, that realization didn't make things much better. The pain, the loneliness threatened to consume me. I clutched my head in misery before physically slapping myself on the cheek. Stop it, stupid head. You're stronger than this. Stop complaining about your life and do something useful.

I hate listening to myself, but I was starving. That always proves the main factor in getting me out of bed each morning. I jumped off of the top bunk of the bed I had been sleeping on and stretched as I walked to the door. Immediately, I noticed something was wrong. The door was locked. Why was it locked?

I jiggled the handle, thinking it must be stuck, but it didn't give. Well, darn. I looked over the four bunk beds in the small dorm and wondered what I could use to ram it open. If I even could. I wasn't exactly the strongest girl.

Suddenly, I remembered a lock-picking technique Fib had taught me. I felt a sharp pain in my chest being reminded of him, but now was not the time to be weak. Taking a bobby pin out of my hair, I began twisting it in the keyhole. It took me about ten minutes, but eventually, the lock sprang open. During that time, I had started to hear these inhuman screams which shook me to my core.

I pushed the heavy door open and gasped. Dangling from the ceiling of the cafeteria where I had eaten last night was the most horrid sight imaginable. It was the dead bodies of the people who had rescued me last night. The people I had sat and eaten only a few short hours ago. And, oh, the smell! I suppose I was wrong when I thought that W.I.C.K.E.D. couldn't hurt me any worse than they already had, for this was surely their work.

Thankfully, my attention was soon drawn elsewhere. On the opposite side of the cafeteria was a room that I hadn't noticed before. Through the tiny window, I glimpsed a group of boys, talking. Curious as always, I walked over and stopped just outside the door. I eavesdropped for a while and had to bite my lip to keep from screaming after what I learned. There were other groups? With other mazes? My brain seemed like it was going to explode.

Trying to get a glimpse of these new guys, I peeked in the window. Unfortunately, that happened to be the exact moment that the small one, I think he was from a different group than the rest of the boys, looked up. I saw his mouth open in a gasp as he pointed to me. I didn't wait to see the other boys' reaction but took off running. Looking back, I can't explain exactly why I did. I guess I was just on an adrenaline rush and couldn't help but wonder if they were the ones responsible for the awful scene that greeted me this morning.

I heard shouts and the sound of pursuers, but I didn't stop. I was fast, but they were gaining on me. Suddenly, a horrendous idea popped into my brain. I didn't want to do it, but I had no choice. They had nearly caught up to me. Pushing myself even harder, I sprinted and jumped, latching on the nearest hanging body. I whispered a quick apology to the late woman and started climbing up. I didn't stop until I had reached the ceiling and only clung to the rope.

Looking down, I noticed the boys gathered in a circle around me. A buff Asian who seemed to be one of the leaders stepped up.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking up at me.

"Who are you?" I replied. There was no way I was going first.

"We outnumber you. You answer first."

"Yeah, but I have the high ground," I said with a slight smile, despite the awful, disgusting situation I was in.

"Ladies first," he yelled back.

"Age before beauty." I retorted. He glared at me and I glared right back. Finally, a tall boy with black hair stepped forward.

"Guys, this is stupid," he sighed.

"I'm Thomas. What's your name?"

"Rachel." At that, the small boy who had noticed me gasped again and backed up. What was his problem? Oh wait, that was the name of his partner, wasn't it? Poor dude.

"Well how about you come down from there, Rachel, and we can figure out what the heck is going on," the sassy buff boy called up.

"Fine, Minho," I retorted. The look on his face was priceless. I had heard the boys calling him that while I was eavesdropping, and had been waiting for the perfect time to use it. I jumped down, since there was no way I was climbing the person again, rolled once, and stood up.

"Shall we?" I asked, pointing to the dorm they had been in previously.


	2. Subject C0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I could never come up with an incredible story like this: it's all James Dashner's.
> 
> Also, please comment I love reading what you guys think <3

I was screaming inside. _You are so stupid! *mental slap* *mental slap* You literally just met these guys and they seem suspicious of you. And, of course, you had to sass the leader and make everything worse._ Oh, well. That's me for you. Impulsive adrenaline junkie who says all the wrong things at all the wrong times.

Once we reached the dorm and had shut the door to keep the smell out, they all turned towards me. I was standing in the middle of the room while most of the guys sat on beds around the edge.

"So," Minho finally said. "Who are you?" 

_Don't do it, Rachel! Don't you dare!_ I didn't listen to myself.

"Wow, you must have an even worse memory than me. My name is Ra-chel," I said, pronouncing the syllables in my name like I was speaking to a toddler. _Girl, could you be any more of an imbecile?_ I told my brain to shut up. Unfortunately, I was right, and my comment only earned me more glares.

"Fine," I said as I saw Minho taking a deep breath to probably yell something at me.

"I was trapped in the maze, just like you guys. They were a group of all boys, but when I showed up, I triggered something called the ending."

"And then you escaped with them but were separated into different bedrooms, right?" Thomas clarified.

"No." I replied softly, eyes downcast.

"Well, what happened to them?" This was a new voice. British, I thought. I looked up and saw that it belonged to boy with scruffy blond hair. _Dang he's hot._ The thought slipped unbidden into my mind. _Shut up brain! Now is not the time._

"They're all dead." I replied softly, but letting the spite in my voice be heard clearly.

"What do you mean, shank?" Minho asked. _What the heck is a shank? Ugh, focus Rachel!_ I lifted my chin. I had felt so much pain over the past few days, but now I just felt numb. I only allowed myself to cry once, ever since I woke up in the box. It was last night and I cried like there was no tomorrow. But tomorrow came. And I would not show weakness in front of these boys.

"They all died. I'm the only one that survived. The only one the made it through." I said, louder this time. My voice didn't shake and I looked straight into Minho's eyes with a deadly glare.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Thomas said.

"I don't want your sympathy. Now, what is that screaming sound and how do we get out of this cursed place?" I spat. It wouldn't do to dwell on thoughts of the past.

"They're called cranks. Some sort of zombie thing" answered the hot Brit.

"But why is her name Rachel?" Aris asked softly.

"It can't be a bloody coincidence. Just another of W.I.C.K.E.D.'s schemes to mess with our minds, I suppose," he replied, although I was pretty sure Aris was just talking to himself.

"Wait, what's that black mark?" I asked Aris.

"Huh?" he looked confused. I spun him around and pointed it out to the boys.

"Looks like some kind of lettering," the hot one said. _Oh, even his voice is hot. Ugh, shut up and concentrate, brain! But what if he has a hot name to match? Not now!_

"Here let me read it." The hottie pulled Aris' shirt down slightly and we all crowded around to read the words printed on his skin.

**Property of WICKED. Group B, Subject B1. The Partner.**

~~~~~~~~~~~

All the other boys had one, saying roughly the same thing, except they were Group A, and had different nicknames. Most didn't have nicknames at all. I laughed as they all went around to each other, reading the strange tattoos. Finally, Mr. Hot Stuff turned to me.

"What does yours say?"

"I don't think I have one."

"Let me check." Feeling a little awkward, I turned around and swept my blond hair over my shoulder. He barely pushed the neck of my t-shirt down and read the words printed there out loud to me.

**Property of WICKED. Group C, Subject C0. The Madman.**

I gave a small chuckle.

"First of all, I'm not a man," I said to the ceiling, figuring that W.I.C.K.E.D. would be watching this.

"What's it say, Newt?" Minho asked. _Newt. Huh. That's, uh, unique. It's kinda cute actually. Stupid brain, pay attention to the conversation!_

"Madman, huh?" Minho scoffed.

"Oh, yeah? What's yours say Mr. Confident?"

"Check it out, girl!" I leaned in to read it.

**Property of WICKED. Group A, Subject A7. The Leader.**

Of course. I cursed under my breath. I get called insane, but he gets to be a leader. My very loud brain failed to come up with a clever reply to that. Thankfully, I was saved by a loud alarm ringing. Everyone immediately covered their ears. They were saying something about it being a newbie alarm, whatever that means.

When it finally stopped, I noticed the door had swung open. For a minute, nobody moved. The lights had been turned off on the other side.

"So," I said. "Who wants to go through the creepy door of death first?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that I forgot to add a description of what she looks like🤦🏼♀️. Sorry! I promise you'll get one next time.
> 
> Any constructive criticism?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: all of the characters/settings are James Dashner's, not mine (except Rachel and a few others)
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who commented or left kudos it means so much to me <3.
> 
> Also, I switched POVs in this chapter; let me know if you like it or not.

** Minho's POV **

So far, the new chick didn't seem so bad. Sure she was super sarcastic at all the wrong times, but I could work with that. Plus, she wasn't bad looking either. I mean she wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, but hot in her own kind of way. Rachel was tall, with light skin, and a smattering of freckles across her nose. Her long blond hair went down to about the middle of her back. The bottom of it was tinged with red. I have absolutely no idea how she did that but it only added to the look. Maybe she asked the Creators for hair dye in the maze. The thought made me smile. It _did_ seem like something she would do.

The most striking thing about her, however, was her eyes. They were a deep brown, almost black color and seemed to hold secrets of some sort. I know that sounds super cheesy and stereotypical, but it's true. They looked like they were full of hidden sadness that made me want to ask more about what happened to the other boys in her group.

But now wasn't the time for chitchat. The greenie alarm had finally stopped, and the door to the cafeteria opened. It was pitch dark on the other side.

"So," Rachel said. "Who wants to go through the creepy door of death first?"

"You reckon there's some sort of a Box out there?" I asked.

"Don't tell me we're still gonna get bloody newbies thrown in our laps," Newt complained.

"Well, I'll go first. If there is a greenie out there, I want to be the first to pick on the shank," I said. "We could use another Chuck." At that, Rachel gestured dramatically towards the door, and I stepped through. I felt Thomas bump into my back almost immediately and told him to hold off. "No need to play bumper cars with the dead bodies again," I remarked. I edged around the walls of the room until I reached a light switch. I flipped it on and gasped.

** Rachel's POV **

All of the 'gladers', as they so called themselves were blocking my view of the doorway, but I could hear their gasps. Newt and I shoved our way through them until we could get a clear view. All of the bodies were gone. No drag marks or any other clues were visible on the floor. There was no trace of the bodies ever having been there in the first place. Even the awful stench had left.

"The bloody cranks stopped screaming as well," Newt remarked. Suddenly, I broke through the crowd and ran to the section of the wall where my dorm had been a moment earlier. It had dissolved too. Only a smooth second of the wall stood where I was positive a door had been before. I heard the boys run up behind me.

"Oh Rachel, I almost forgot," Thomas said, standing behind me.

"Forgot what?" I asked, confused. He didn't answer but merely scrunched up his forehead. He was staring at me and looked like he was concentrating on something. "Uh, Thomas? Everything alright there buddy?" I sent a questioning look at Newt.

He chuckled, "Oh Thomas is just trying to do his freaky head talk thing," which _really_ cleared things up for me. I raised my eyebrows and sent him another look.

"When you were in the maze, could you talk to one of the boys in your head? You know, like telepathy?" Thomas asked, bringing my attention back to him.

_Tag._

The name flashed through my mind against my will. I shook my head to clear his image.

"Yes."

"Then why isn't it working now?" Aris asked.

"Wait, what did your tattoo say again?" Thomas spoke to me instead of replying. I turned around and swept my hair over my shoulder so he could read it. Suddenly, in an oddly serious voice, he announced,

"Property of WICKED. Rachel. Subject C0. The Madman. Telepathy engage." For a moment, we all just stood there and stared at him. I was just opening my mouth to emit a sarcastic reply when my head exploded in pain. I fell to my knees and clutched my skull. I heard a distant scream that I only later realized belonged to me. Images from the past few weeks flashed through my mind before I could even register what I was seeing. The memories finally faded away to one scene. When I saw what it was, however, I wished they would return.

_Tag, Henry, and I were in WICKED's lab. We had just escaped the Maze. We were the only three still alive. Suddenly, Henry turned to me with a wild look on his face._

_"Run," he said in a raspy voice._

_"What's wrong? We escaped. I don't see anyone," I replied._

_With tears streaming down his face, he pulled out a knife."Run," he repeated, then lunged for me. I couldn't move. I just stared, shocked, as the hand with the knife dove towards my heart._

_"No!" That was Tag's voice. He stepped in front of me in the blink of an eye and took the knife stab meant for me in his left arm. That snapped me back to my senses. I put my arms around his middle and dragged him away, trying to get as far away as possible from Henry. I didn't understand what had come over him. Perhaps a sort of PTSD from his years in the maze. I was moving as fast as I could, but Tag was heavy. Henry followed us, walking slowly, like a leopard stalking its prey. I reached a door but had to put Tag's body down to drag it open. Henry appeared at my side. He had somehow gotten hold of a machete now._

_"Not so fast, darling," he sneered. I pulled out my own knife and turned to face him._

_"Henry, it's me, Rachel. Put the knife down and let's talk." Apparently disliking my suggestion, he lunged for me instead. I grabbed his right arm and attempted to spin, using his momentum against him. He caught my wrist with his other hand, however, and held me there. Ugh. I could beat him in any aiming or knife throwing contest around, but he completely dominated me in contests of pure strength. I brought my foot up and kicked him in an uncomfortable place. He winced but didn't waver._

_Tag abruptly stood up and got Henry in a headlock. How he did that with a knife still sticking out of his arm, I will never know. Adrenaline does weird things to you. I pushed the door open again, stepped through, and motioned for him to follow. He still had his arms around Henry and had several new scratches from the latter's machete._

_"Go, I'll hold him off." he looked into my eyes._

_"Fat chance. I'm not losing you too." I replied._

_"Go!" Tag yelled. He never yelled. Before I could react, he kicked the door closed with a strength I didn't know he had. My grip slipped and I was caught on the other side. I pulled with all my might, but it was locked on this side. I glanced through the window and pounded on it._

_"Let me in! Tag!"_

_Tag's eyes met mine for one final time before Henry escaped his grasp and..._

_It was too horrible. I couldn't describe it. I slid to the ground, the whole world crashing in on me._

_"TAG!" I screamed over and over again. I was choking on my own tears, but I didn't care. Maybe choking to death would at least would be an escape from my horrid reality. It was here that the people found me. I wouldn't get up, but someone slung me over their shoulder and carried me to their "safe house". I didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. Fib was gone. Henry was gone. Eli was gone. And now, Tag was gone. He was the only thing that kept me going. And he died because of me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah! Getting kinda dark! Sorry, I promise it'll get happier, just hold on!
> 
> Any more suggestions and constructive criticism? I won't be offended at all, I really just want to know what you guys think about the story so far.
> 
> And any guesses who Fib, Tag, Henry, and Eli were named after?


	4. Losing Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: all of these characters (except for like Rachel and Tag) are James Dasher's and not mine *sniff* :'(
> 
> Hit the kudos button if you like it! Also thanks so much for reading and commenting! I love all of your responses <3.

Suddenly, the memory-dream stopped. All I saw now was the blackness of my closed eyelids. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and I opened my eyes. I was curled on the floor in a fetal position, my knees tucked to my chest. Looking up, I saw a group of boys in a circle enveloping me, their concerned glances watching me. Kneeling next to me, Newt's hand was on my shoulder.

It felt nice, his warm touch, but I knew what would happen if I allowed myself to be weak. I shrugged him off and stood up. The gladers all stared at me as if I'd come back from death. I suppose I had, in a way. It just wasn't my death.

"Care to explain yourself, Thomas? What was that? And how did you-"

Before I could finish, I was interrupted by a voice _inside_ my head.

_Can you hear me?_

I gasped and started backing up.

No, it couldn't be. I saw him die.

_Hello? Rachel?_

I tilted my head to the side, listening. No, it wasn't him. It wasn't Tag's voice. It sounded more like-

_Aris?_ I called out in my mind to him.

_Yes! Thomas, are you here too?_

_Yup._ It was Thomas' voice this time who answered.

"Could someone _please_ explain what's going on?" Minho demanded.

"She can do telepathy too now. I think I triggered something in her brain by saying those words," Thomas answered.

"Oh, you sure triggered something. I was bloody afraid she was gonna die," Newt muttered, not meaning for me to hear. It brought an involuntary blush to my cheeks. Thankfully, no one noticed. Everyone else still looked pretty confused, so I was going to explain more, when I was interrupted.

"I remember you," Thomas blurted out suddenly, distracting me. How could he remember me? I certainly didn't remember him. Well, to be fair, I didn't have any memories at all, so I suppose it was possible. "Back when I used to work for W.I.C.K.E.D. And, well, you might want to sit down."

I promptly sat criss-cross applesauce on the floor and motioned for him to continue. He took a deep breath.

"When I used to work for W.I.C.K.E.D., I remember watching over two mazes: Group A, our group, and Group B, Aris' group. However, there was a third... experiment." He took another deep breath.

"It was virtual reality, a kind of psychological test. W.I.C.K.E.D. created this chamber where they could control all of the conditions, sort of like the maze, but even more intricate. It had a full-body suit and, once inside, they could make you feel things so realistic, you wouldn't realize you were still in the virtual world. I have a memory of eavesdropping on a conversation where some of the scientists were discussing which kid to use in the 'Last Man Standing' analysis. They pulled a picture of you as a younger kid up on their computer screen, and I saw their heads nodding.

Rachel, I think they ended up using you. You were the one put in the virtual reality suit. The other people in your Maze, they didn't really die, they just never existed in the first place. I- I'm so sorry."

For what felt like an hour, nobody moved. Nobody spoke. I could hardly breathe. I stared, numb, into the distance. I couldn't move, couldn't gasp. Heck, I couldn't even cry.

I couldn't feel a thing. I was past feeling now.

All those memories, all those friends, were _fake?_ How? And if they were, how could I be sure this was real life _now?_ I let out a harsh chuckle. Oh, I understood my nickname now. I could almost feel my grip on reality sliding away.

Then, through the clouds, a ray of sunshine broke through. Just when I felt all alone, I felt two hands being placed on my shoulders. I looked up to see Thomas and Newt giving me sad smiles. It was then that the thought occurred to me.

"Well, hallelujah!" I announced, surprising everyone. I'm pretty sure Frypan's jaw touched the floor. I stood up.

"Don't you see? This means they aren't dead! Sure, they never existed in the first place, and that's going to haunt me for the rest of my pitiful little life, but at least I'm not responsible. I'm not responsible for their deaths!" 

Minho nudged Newt and whispered something that sounded suspiciously like 'I understand her tattoo now,' but I chose to ignore him. Inside, my heart was crumbling and shattering, the pieces breaking off one by one, but I had to put on a happy face for the others.

"Now come on, let's find a way out of this blasted place."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry! This chapter is probably one of the worst things I've ever written and the grammar is all messed up and ugh. Really not satisfied, but I'm publishing it anyway, like the stupid-head I am.
> 
> Also, sorry this chapter is so short! I'm working on another one and I'll hopefully publish it soon. I promise it'll be longer. Again, thanks for reading!!


	5. Food, Glorious Food

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading!!!!!! <3 <3
> 
> Disclaimer: all of these characters (except for the OCs I added) and settings and stuff belong to James Dashner and not me because I'm a stupid worthless worm who couldn't create something like this if my life depended on it. I even took some direct quotes from the book (just things people said) because I'm such a lazy goose. This is also gonna be the last disclaimer I put on here because, again, I'm lazy and I think you guys get the point by now :))).

**~~~~~~~~time skip because I'm lazy and want to get to the action~~~~~~~~**

To say I was hungry would be an understatement. I was famished. My stomach had started to feel like it was eating itself.

It had been three days since I surprised the boys, found out that my entire life (or what I remembered of it) was a lie, and was diagnosed with insanity by a strange tattoo on my neck. 

I hadn't had a full stomach since the dinner after I escaped my maze. No, before that. I was too upset at dinner to eat much. My last actual meal had been in the Valley (my version of the "Glade") right before we ran off. That felt like ages ago. So much had happened since then, so much.

We all stopped talking to each other (which was quite a feat for me I must admit; even Fib couldn't get me to shut up most days) around day two. It wasn't as if there was contention, we simply didn't have any extra energy. Just keeping my heart pumping seemed to sap all of my leftover strength.

I looked around the room at everyone's gloomy faces and had to stop myself from bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter. Who knew that after all we went through, starvation would finally be what killed us. I did manage to keep the laughter inside, though. The boys were suspicious enough of me without adding confirmation of my nickname to the mix. Little did they know I was already on my way to madness. _Oh, Rachel, what am I going to do with you. You are me, silly goose._

A humming sound coming from the common area shook me out of my internal discussion. I debated with myself about getting up and checking it out, but exhaustion finally won me over. I merely watched as a few boys walked into the other room to look around. After only about 30 seconds, they ran back into the room with... wait, was that fruit in their hands? Or had I finally started hallucinating for real?

"Food!" one of the shouted between bites. The rest of us, well the ones who weren't asleep, jumped up and to see for ourselves what sort of miracle had occurred in the adjoining area. There, sitting in all its glory like a pile of diamonds, was _food._ We sprinted to the mound of heaven-sent goodness and immediately chowed down. I stuffed my face full of whatever I could get my hands on. Apples, carrots, a packet of nuts, everything. I could feel my energy being slowly restored with every bite. 

However, when I heard the sounds of one of the boys vomiting from eating too much too fast, I resolved to slow down. Glancing up for the first time, I saw something that made me wonder if I was still dreaming. It was a man, dressed in all white, sitting at a desk. He was reading calmly on the other side of the common area seemingly without a care in the world. Apparently, the others had noticed him earlier, but I was too wrapped up in the food to notice anything else. Hey, can you blame me? I have my priorities straightened out just fine, thank you very much.

A burst of confidence surging through me from the new calories entering my body, I walked over to him. About ten feet in front of the desk I slammed into an invisible wall. I fell back on my tailbone to the chuckles of a few boys behind me. I ignored them. Reaching out my hands, I touched something cool and flat, like glass. I knew I wasn't glass, though, because I would've seen a smudge, a glare, anything. There was nothing here. My hands just seemed to stop in midair.

I knocked, making some dull thumps, but he didn't even look up from his apparently enthralling novel. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, I stalked back to the food pile. I picked up an orange, peeled it, but instead of eating it, chucked it right at the wall. It gave a satisfying smack and dripped down. I was disappointed to see that it hadn't made a mark though.

The man rolled his eyes, turned toward me, and spoke. 

"Did you not hear what I said earlier? We still have an hour before I've been authorized to implement Phase Two of the Trials. Please show your patience and leave me alone. You've been given this time to eat and replenish yourselves, and I strongly suggest you take advantage of it, young..." he paused for a moment and took in my appearance. I glared back at him.

"...young lady. Now, if you don't mind..." he turned around before I could say anything, crossed his feet up on the desk, and continued reading. Huh. Not one for small talk, I guess.

**~~~~~time skip to after Ratman does his whole speech because y'all already know what he says and I don't want to type it out~~~~~**

Ratman (as Minho had dubbed him) left, after delivering the worst speech ever made to mankind, and the room erupted with a million voices, asking what the heck was going on, making guesses, complaining, everything.

I was abruptly hit with the need to escape. Not escape from W.I.C.K.E.D., although that was definitely on my to-do list, just the urge to get away from all these people. Everyone was talking so loudly, yelling over each other, and I just couldn't stand it any longer. No matter how much complaining and strategizing they did, all of us would end up going through the Flat Trans anyway. I just didn't see any need to discuss it.

I ran to the only private place I could think of, the bathroom. I entered the dorm Aris and I shared (after mine had mysteriously disappeared), and opened the adjoining door. Turns out I wasn't the only one with that idea. As I pushed the door open, I saw Thomas there, leaning on the sink. He turned his head as I walked in.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't... um, the door was unlocked so I just assumed..." I rambled before Thomas cut me off.

"No, it's fine. I just needed to get away for a second. I just can't stand everyone talking over everybody else like a bunch of babies. Say what they want, we all know what we're gonna do."

"You read my mind. Mind if I get a drink?" He stepped away from the sink but didn't leave the small room. I gushed some water into my hands, drank it, and then splashed some on my face. Suddenly Minho walked in.

"Woah, excuse me. Am I interrupting something?" he said with a smirk. I rolled my eyes.

"Tommy and I were just discussing how annoying everyone's voices are, particularly yours, Minho. It's so high pitched."

"Look who's talking," he retaliated. I flicked water at him.

"Am I missing something?" Newt popped his head in. An involuntary smile tried to stretch its way across my lips but I forced it back.

"We were just complaining about Minho's squeaky voice," I said with a pointed look at the boy in question. He attempted to flip his hair but it was gelled down so well that it didn't move. That time I didn't even try to stop the smile from spreading across my face. Newt just shook his head at us.

"Tommy," he said, "you went through the Changing, got some of your memories back. How much of this stuff do you remember?"

"I don't know. I can't really picture the actual world outside or what it was like being involved with the people I helped design the Maze. Most of it's either faded again or just gone. I've had a couple of weird dreams, but nothing that helps."

From there the discussion turned to things Ratman had said and the state of the world. My brain honestly couldn't take any more of this klunk _(wait, what? Oh no, the gladers are rubbing off on me)_ , so I excused myself and laid down on one of the beds in Aris' dorm. My head felt like it was about to implode, so I just pushed everything away and focused on my breathing, something Tag had taught me when I first arrived in the maze and started freaking out. _In, hold, out, hold. In, hold, out, hold._

Of course, thinking about Tag only made things worse. He was my best friend, maybe even more. He taught me everything I needed to know. How to fit in, how to hide my weaknesses, how to come up with the perfect comeback, how to throw a knife with perfect accuracy, how to adjust the locks on my door so Fib couldn't break in and "borrow" things from me, even how to steal extra food without getting caught.

But he was fake. An illusion. A figment of someone else's imagination. Just a combination of pixels. At least when I thought he was dead, I was comforted by the thought that I'd see him again when I pass away. Most of the gladers weren't religious, but it just didn't make sense to me that death is the ultimate end, and that we fade away to nothing. But now, he was past even death. I'd never again see his left eyebrow quirk up in that cute way it does, never hear his captivating Aussie accent, and, if I did, it would be worse than a nightmare. It would mean I was back in that wretched suit with no way to escape.

I felt tears threaten behind my closed lids. _Stop it, Rachel. You are stronger than this. He's gone, lost forever, and there's nothing you can do about it._ I dug my nails into my palms. There. Pain was something else I could feel. Something other than this consuming misery. I grit my teeth and forced myself out of bed. I needed to help the others pack up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is another filler chapter. So, what? *sticks tongue out at imaginary people reading this* The next chapter is... *imitates explosion noises*. Definitely not a filler one. So here's this while I'm working on that. Yeah, I can't even words anymore.
> 
> What did you guys think? Any suggestions or criticism??


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